Was There Ever a Cat So Clever?
by srslyallison
Summary: Mistoffelees had grown up never knowing someone like him, but now that he has another cat like him, he wants to make sure that he never has to feel like that again.
1. Chapter 1

((my first CATS fic! ha. i own none of this, except merry, of course. she is mine c: this fic i actually about a year and some months after the musical and i also have to mention how awesome The Penguin Ate My Homework has been with betaing this fic. she is awesome, yall, go check her out c: so thanks! and thanks to yall for reading!))

Sometimes, he thought, a nice sunbath would not be a terrible thing. After all, Tugger enjoyed them—perhaps a bit too much. But his dear brother had offered him advice the other day, which he had intended to take: "Loosen up!" It was true; Munkustrap could do with some loosening up. While he still could. The Jellicle tribe would become his responsibility at some point.

He considered all of this as he sat on his family's stoop, taking in the sun. It hit him hard, having a darker coat than some, but it was relaxing. His eyes were slowly beginning to close. Thoughts whirled around in his head as he began to doze. Responsibility…Old Deuteronomy…tribe…until finally, something woke him up with a start. He looked around, hearing a low growl coming from two unfamiliar kits. They spat at each other, their hair standing up. He rose up, wanting to intervene, but he didn't think now was the time. He didn't know these kittens, but he knew all kittens needed to have spats if they were to learn.

A Russian Blue cat was the first to say something. "I wish you didn't have to come back, but if I don't return with you, you know they'll blame me. It isn't my fault you're some sort of…freak," he spat with venom in his words. "Your dear old mum misses you, for some reason."

The other kitten, a white kitten with large black spots around her body, shook her head. "Why should I care about what sort of trouble you'll get into, Raphael? Go back home and be with those who are /normal," she said, and she turned her back, attempting to walk off. Raphael stood there, watching curiously before he frowned and turned back, away from where the other kitten was. Munkustrap watched with some interest as she made her way into the alley between his people's home and their neighbor's. Curiosity got the better of him and he rose up, inspecting where she was going. She sat next to a garbage can, staring intently at a candy wrapper. What she did next made him stop in his tracks. She stared at the wrapper, and much to his surprise, it began to levitate in front of her. She sat in a playful stance, the wrapper rising up to about her eye level before slowly floating back down to her paws.

"Quite impressive," said Munkustrap, and the kitten glared at him, rising into a defensive pose at once. "You're not from around here." She didn't respond. She didn't look familiar at all, though she obviously wasn't much of a threat. Munkustrap was sure that a capable tom like him could take this young queen. He cleared his throat. "Where are you from?" Munkustrap asked. After a moment she shrugged, and he frowned. "You don't know where you live?"

"I live two blocks away from a pack of Pollicles," she said carefully, frowning.

Munkustrap didn't know exactly how close the junkyard was to a Pollicle tribe, but he would certainly check. "Are _you_ lost?" he asked, wanting to help, but he found himself counting the number of kittens they already had and one more would be stressing his tribe.

"No," the kitten responded, and began to levitate the candy wrapper once more, concentrating hard. It fell and she sighed, rolling onto her back. "Are /you/ lost?"

Munkustrap stammered. "I…no. I live in the junkyard." He watched her play with the wrapper, and he frowned. What an odd cat. He decided he would give her more chance to be friendly and personable (or, should he say, catable?). He cleared his throat. "My name is Munkustrap." He said this with dignity, and expected immediate respect from her. He received none, and he promptly sighed with impatience and disappointment. "What's your name?" he asked.

She frowned. "I don't know you well enough to say," she responded, seemingly concentrated on the candy wrapper. Now Munkustrap was frustrated, and it was very clear.

"What about your family name? What name is that?"

"No family. Live in a box," she said, and she looked up to him before finally rising onto her feet, stretching. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have more pressing matters to attend to besides playing twenty questions. Good day, Munkustrap," she said, and began off. And Munkustrap did not feel like following after her.

--

That night, Munkustrap found himself sitting and grooming himself, Tugger and Mistoffelees sitting around him. Munkustrap glanced over and casually mentioned the kitten. He told how she was a rude to him, and didn't know about him (and he assumed the rest of Jellicles. After all, if someone didn't know /him, they probably didn't know another Jellicle).

"She was…odd. Not like the kittens here. She said she lived a few blocks away from a pack of Pollicles," Munkustrap finished, and he set his head down, frowning forward.

"The closest pack I know of live nearly fifteen blocks away from the junkyard…she was surely far from home," Mistoffelees said to Munkustrap, eyeing him. "Why didn't you bring her here? Was she able to hunt?"

Munkustrap frowned. And then he realized why he should have. "Perhaps," Munkustrap responded, and he cleared his throat. "Also…she was able to levitate a candy wrapper," he mentioned. Tugger's ears rose curiously, but apart from that, he was just as distant as before. Mistoffelees, however, looked at Munkustrap quite seriously. "Are you able to do that?" he asked Misto, who nodded.

"Yes," he finally said, and thought. He'd never come across another cat that was able to perform such tricks as he could. He looked to Munkustrap. "Where did she go?" he asked, wanting to find her, and at least speak to her. Perhaps to try to return her home, or at least show her a few tricks while he had her attention. Munkustrap didn't know, and after a moment, Mistoffelees rose, leaving the junkyard to find this kit. Munkustrap exchanged a look of guilt with Tugger.

Tugger chuckled to himself, and looked up to his brother. "This is why I don't get involved with strays. When are you going to start listening to me, hm?" Tugger rose and left, but not before ruffling poor Munkustrap's hair.

--

Mistoffelees' search was fruitless. Unless you count the dead bird hanging from his mouth, of course. He made his way happily through an alley, pausing to scratch behind his ear, and he heard a small mew. He looked around, and finally came across a kitten that matched Munkustrap's description of the rude kitten. He frowned, watching her pouncing on a cockroach, leading him to sigh.

"I know someone who wouldn't appreciate that," the tuxedo cat said with a chuckle. That was more for him. "I have something a little more satisfying. A dove." She seemed interested, now. He left, expecting her to follow. She peeked from behind the garbage can, watching this tomcat chow down on this dove.

She approached curiously, bending down to casually eat, though her large blue eyes were fixed on Mistoffelees as she chewed. Misto finished, nudging for her to finish the dove. He leaned against the wall, and smiled. "My friend says you can do a pretty impressive trick," he said casually when she was almost done. "Levitation, correct?" he asked, and she nodded gently. He nodded as well, and looked down, letting her finish finally. After she was done, she made her way over to find another wrapper. He watched attentively. She bent down and concentrated on the wrapper before finally it rose up in the air, this time up to her ears before it fell back down.

She grinned up to him. "I can't make it go up much higher than that." Her smile was proud.

Mistoffelees nodded, and he smiled. "I can do tricks like that, too. Watch." he reached over behind the kitten's ear and pulled out a very long green ribbon, watching her eyes widen as he continued to pull and pull. At the end was an ace of clubs, which landed by her feet. He bowed and she clapped gingerly. "So. What's your name, kid?" he asked, and began to scrunch all of the ribbon into his hand.

"Merrytus," she responded. "And yours?"

"Mr. Mistoffelees, but Mistoffelees is quite fine," he said to her, and he opened his palm. Much to her surprise, there was no ribbon. "Is there anything else you can do, Merrytus?" he asked the kitten, sitting and relaxing for now.

"Sort of," she responded. "I can make things disappear, but I'm afraid I don't know how to get them back again." She grinned. "I don't practice much. My tribe…my old tribe, they weren't very fond of my powers. They said it just wasn't normal," she responded with a shrug. "I haven't met another cat like me, who can do things like me. Does your tribe make fun of you?"

Mistoffelees shook his head. "No, no…my tribe enjoy my ability." He paused. "Perhaps…would you like to join us?" he asked, and regretted it. He had gone too far…she wasn't very trusting.

Just as he predicted, she backed up. "No. I've found my new home," Merrytus responded with a smile, and she looked down as she began off. "Thank you for the dove." She frowned. "I would like to learn some new tricks, though," Merrytus mumbled.

Mistoffelees nodded. "Of course. I'll come by," he said, and he watched as she walked off, no doubt to a cardboard box nearby. He began towards the junkyard, knowing she would come around on her own soon enough.


	2. Chapter 2

((thanks again to The Penguin Ate My Homework for being an awesome beta c: again, i own none of this, unfortunately D: ! except merrytus. she's definitely mine. and thanks to my one reviewer, lmao.))

A large grin spread across Mistoffelees' lips that would make the Cheshire Cat himself blush. He had visited Merrytus a total of three times since their first meeting, and their little lessons had become regular. He watched as she picked out of his deck of cards each card he asked, getting about three fourths of them correct.

"Queen of Clubs," he said, and watched as the kitten pulled from the bottom of the deck a Queen of…Hearts. He smiled anyway, nodding. "It takes a lot of practice," he mumbled, and produced the Queen of Clubs from his hand, raising his eyebrow. "Not very fair, of course, but…"

Merrytus chuckled. "Not fair at all, you know," she said, and she sat down, looking around the alley as she did. "Is your tribe nice?" she asked Mistoffelees, then, her eyes taking her up to the blue sky as she did. She still listened attentively.

"Very," he replied. "I wouldn't trade it for the world. Though of course, my family's hearth rug wasn't all that bad, either," he continued, looking up at the blue sky himself. It was slowly beginning to turn a color of light purple, indicating the day coming to an end. He knew he would have to return soon—he didn't quite fancy the idea of running into Macavity on his way back to the junkyard. Then a thought crossed his mind…what if Macavity ran into Merrytus? He cocked his head to the side, knowing very well what he would attempt. He tried to do the same to Mistoffelees himself, when he was a kit. He smiled, knowing he had to work on getting her to at least visiting the tribe. This world wasn't good for a kitten to be this alone in, no matter how much she wanted to. "Since your tribe has kicked you out--."

"They didn't kick me out. In fact, most of the queens wanted me back," Merrytus responded with a frown, looking down at her paws. "It's because of the other kits. They don't think this…is normal. Most of the adults ignore it, but, they don't," she ended there, and shrugged. "I don't want to return." She looked up to him with very serious eyes. The playful look was gone, now. "I don't want to be around them anymore."

"But your mum. Surely she misses you," Mistoffelees said with concerned eyes.

Merrytus nodded. "I miss her too. But I wouldn't be allowed back in anyway, even if I did come back, and she wouldn't leave her tribe. She was never as…well, she isn't very strong." She looked down. She backed up a little bit, putting some room between her and Mistoffelees.

"My tribe—"

"Already has a magician," she finished, and nodded. Without another word she turned around and began off, disappearing behind a corner. Mistoffelees felt helpless for the first time in a long time.

--

He returned to the junkyard, climbing up past some garbage and into the den he shared with Victoria. He lay down, but didn't even begin to consider sleep. This kitten was so stubborn. But then, he supposed, he wouldn't be ready to walk into a new tribe after his previous one rejected him so much. His thought process was interrupted as his mate spoke.

"How did it go?" Victoria asked, gently, before cuddling up to him with a smile and a curious look. She noticed the very sad and frustrated look, however, so she imagined he was not getting very far with her.

"She's quite talented," Mistoffelees said first, but knew that was not what she meant. After a moment, he looked down. "How am I supposed to persuade her? Munkustrap was right. She's a bit too stubborn for her own good. When I was invited, I didn't hesitate," he said to Victoria, not looking at her even though she was staring at him. He was normally easy-going (not to the Tugger level, of course), but he found himself worrying more than he normally did.

"Perhaps if she caught a glimpse of the Rum Tum Tugger she'd come crawling here. Kittens usually enjoy his company." She grinned, obviously trying to make light, but this only seemed to upset him even more. After a moment of tension, Victoria rose, nuzzling Mistoffelees gently. "I'm going to visit Etcetera," she mumbled, offered one more nuzzle, which he returned warmly. He watched her leave their den, leaving him alone to consider this situation. He sat, thought, and thought some more before he finally came up with a brilliant idea. After all, he didn't need his own kind dwindling off…not while he'd finally found one, after years of having no one to relate to.

--

The following day Mistoffelees went to meet Merrytus for their daily lesson, but upon coming to the area where she met him, he came across not a kitten but a queen. She was white as well, but with some orange and black spotted around her. He sniffed the air curiously and cautiously. She looked to him with wide eyes.

"Are you Mr. Mistoffelees?" she asked, almost desperately. He nodded, and she looked more relieved than he'd seen a cat in a while. "My child…I tried to take her back, but she wouldn't come. And before I knew it, she was gone!" the queen exclaimed, sitting down and looking exasperated. "She doesn't want me, or the tribe. She wants nothing to do with that. But…please, I see it in her eyes, she trusts you." Mistoffelees now came off of the defensive, listening very closely. "I'm not abandoning her."

"Yes, you are," he said, perhaps a little coldly, but there was still softness in his voice.

"I cannot keep her where doesn't want to be. But…would you look after her? Would you, Mr. Mistoffelees? Because wherever she is, I need her to be safe." She walked up to him, nuzzling him very gently and pawing at him. "Just look after her. Keep her safe."

Mistoffelees hesitated, and he sighed. "I can't be a parent to her. But I will keep her safe," he said. He didn't want to be a parent—not yet. A mentor, perhaps. Mistoffelees nodded hesitantly and distantly, nuzzling back just as gently. Her mother backed up, thanking him over and over again before finally leaving the alley. Mistoffelees knew what he had to do next. His infamous conjuring turn was not just good for tricks—it had a purpose, and for the second time, he was going to use this for a very big cause.

In an instant Merrytus appeared, looking confused. She looked around and saw Mr. Mistoffelees, feeling a bit more at ease. "I just spoke with your mother," he said to her with a small nod, and she instantly became attentive. "She told me to watch over you, since obviously she cannot." He still hated that—she was this kitten's _mother_, for goodness sake. But it appeared he had no option. "For now, you're going to have to remain here. I have to get the approval of the leader of our tribe for you to stay with us, as well as probably get Munkustrap's blessing." He sighed. That was going to be loads of fun. "Can you stay here now?"

"Yes," she said to him, and much to his surprise, she did not argue about living with the tribe. He saw a familiar look in her eye. The feeling of abandonment, and no matter what her mother called it, it was just that. Merrytus was right; her mother was not strong. "If you need a safer place, in case…anyone, shows up, my old family's roof has a hole in it on the top, and it's perfect for climbing into and hiding," Mistoffelees said, the warmth and playfulness now back in his eyes. He smiled, and moved to retrieve his pack of cards. "Now then. Four of Diamonds." As she picked the five of Hearts, the smile still lingered. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad.


	3. Chapter 3

((all the thanks to both Penguin and my reviewers c: ! i own none of this but merrytus.))

The following morning, Mistoffelees found Old Deuteronomy with ease. After all, he was quite old, and had trouble moving—even Miss Jennyanydots moved about a little more than he did, and that was saying something. He'd spoken to his elder at great length and speed about Merrytus, and that even though she was more of a rascal than Pouncival was, she did require the safety of a tribe. Unsurprisingly, Old Deuteronomy allowed Merrytus in with the promise that Mistoffelees was going to look after her. He agreed, naturally, but was pretty sure that it was Jenny who would do most of the mothering—she was quite good at it.

Now, the real chore was to get through to Munkustrap. He knew that _technically_ he didn't have to have his permission, but he knew his friend liked to keep the tribe as safe as he could, and this may have been a breach in his own personal security plan for everyone. He walked up to Munkustrap, who was sitting contently next to Demeter, and offered a friendly smile before sitting down. Almost immediately he delved into the story of Merrytus' mother, and his encounter with the queen. Munkustrap listened, his face quite emotionless the whole time.

"So I suppose we haven't a choice but to allow this kitten in?" Munkustrap asked. He wasn't entirely sure they could handle another kitten. The numbers of Macavity sightings were also going up, and Munkustrap was not one to take chances on new cats.

Mistoffelees nodded. "I know she wasn't kind to you, but you have to remember her situation, I guess," he said, smiling to Demeter. At least she looked understanding, having been put in awkward situations like this herself. He shuffled his feet, knowing he had Munkustrap's "permission", albeit begrudgingly so. "I know you don't exactly enjoy welcoming others into our tribe, but she will grow to be more open with the others."

"You did," Demeter said suddenly, about Mistoffelees. After a moment, Munkustrap nodded. It was true…Mistoffelees was taken in as a kitten himself, though at that point, Munkustrap wasn't in charge of the tribe because of his age. Mistoffelees nodded to Munkustrap with the same friendly grin he'd walked up with.

--

Mistoffelees made his way down the familiar alley, anxious to show Merrytus the tribe, only to find her quite absent. After a quick moment of panic, he remembered where he'd instructed her to go if there was an emergency of some kind. He made his way down the street hurriedly, finally coming across the house he had once lived in. He stepped quickly up the fire escape and through the small crack (which he remembered being bigger). He saw Merrytus sleeping in the corner. He made his way over and nudged her to wake her, smiling.

"Are you alright?" he asked, but noticed she was unharmed.

Merrytus nodded, yawning and stretching. "You told me to come here if I had to. Well…it may have been nothing, but I heard two cats talking, and then this awful laugh," she said, frowning as she recalled all of this. "It was coming from down the alley. I didn't see much…but the cat had wild hair, and extra long claws. His fur was white, orange, and red…he was awful looking." She sat down, looking ahead with a distant stare. "I ran off, but I knocked down the trash can. I thought he'd be chasing after me so I looked back, but he wasn't there."

Mistoffelees nodded. "Macavity," he said, and thought for a moment. He would definitely have to mention this to Munkustrap. "Well, he won't be around. I promise. Now…" He smiled down to her despite her incredibly anxious look, and he nodded for her to follow. "The kittens are nice—nicer than the ones you knew, anyway. They enjoy the tricks," he explained, knowing she was quite shy, and with good reason. He spoke about the tribe as they made the trip back to the junkyard, trying to familiarize her with the cats. Finally, he entered, and unsurprisingly, Munkustrap seemed to have stayed waiting.

Meeting the cats was a blur for Merrytus. First she met a queen named Jennyanydots, who reminded her vaguely of her grandmother. Next she was introduced to the kittens whose names she couldn't remember, but they seemed wary of her. Afterwards, Demeter and Bombularina came to welcome her politely, though Bombalurina seemed a bit more interested in what Tugger was up to than meeting a kitten. Munkustrap nodded stiffly, and a very attractive tom winked at her from across the junkyard, leaving her knees weak—she would have to keep an eye on him.

--

The entire day was her meeting the tribe, as well as maybe getting to know some of the kittens more. When the sky was a dark combination of blue and purple, Merrytus finally managed to find her way back to Mistoffelees. She looked grim and a little ill as she lay down, resting her head on his paws.

"There's a lot of you," she said slowly, and he laughed at that. She must have been exhausted.

"Tomorrow, we can go into my den and work on some sleight of hand," he said to her, and lay down, nudging her softly.

"I would like that quite a bit," she said to him, softly. "I did meet a lot of the kits, though. They were fun." She wasn't sure if she really considered them to be friends just yet, however, because she wasn't sure if they considered her a friend, though they were friendly. Merrytus sighed, and closed her eyes, not wanting to wrap her head around that until tomorrow. "They told me about a ball."

Mistoffelees smiled at the memory of his recent Jellicle Ball, a few months before this night. "The Jellicle Ball is when a night when the Jellicles come out, and dance throughout the entire night, celebrating the choice made by Old Deuteronomy for one cat to be reborn into the tribe, and live a different life," he explained, though maybe not as smoothly as he had in the past. Merrytus took in the importance of this, even if she didn't quite understand it. She also allowed Mistoffelees to revisit the fun times he'd had at the Jellicle Ball. She drifted into sleep, awakened briefly by a pure white queen picking her up, but she soon fell back into a good night's sleep.

--

The following day, Merrytus found herself sitting in an area of the junkyard with Mistoffelees, working on a particularly flashy trick. He sat in front of her, watching her practice conjuring a cork, only to make it disappear once more. Each time she would make it successfully disappear, Mistoffelees chose a spot she would have to bring it back to, the spots getting more difficult every go. She smiled, conjuring the cork right onto Mr. Mistoffelees' head, which made him temporarily lose focus and laugh.

After a moment of this laughter Jennyanydots walked by, smiling. "Haven't you worked with her enough, Mistoffelees?" she asked, and she looked over to Merrytus, who shrunk a little bit. "Would you like to visit with the kittens?"

"You could show them your newest trick!" exclaimed Mistoffelees. "Your first audience! Great idea Jenny—come!" he said to Merrytus, nodding her along, even though everything about her said she would rather not have performed just yet. He put her in front of the kittens, gathering them around in a half-circle. After finally settling them down, he walked in front of them, head held high.

"Tomcats and queens, may I present, the phenomenal, Magical Miss Mer--!" But before she could make any corks appear on any kittens' heads, a loud cackle rang through the junkyard and Macavity appeared from behind a drier.

Demeter screamed his name and scampered. There was chaos; Jenny was ushering all of the kittens in the half-circle to safety, Rumpleteazer was searching fruitlessly for Mungojerrie, and Munkustrap stood in front of Macavity, daring him to attack. Mistoffelees reacted quickly, shoving Merrytus into a large PVC pipe and standing in front of there. What happened was out of both ear- and eyeshot from the two cats in the pipe, but whatever happened, it happened very quickly. After a moment Munkustrap yelled that it was clear. Mistoffelees led Merrytus out of the pipe, her tail between her legs.

It was then that Mistoffelees decided he was not going to inform Munkustrap about the fact that she had seen Macavity two nights before. He knew Munkustrap jumped to conclusions, after all. Mistoffelees only hoped his vague suspicion wouldn't be picked up by others.


	4. Chapter 4

((thanks again to Penguin, and to all my readers c: again, i own none of this but merrytus. enjoy!))

Three days had passed since Macavity's short-lived attack on the Jellicles, though caution was still used throughout the junkyard. Jenny and Jellylorum watched the kittens much closer than they had before (if that was possible), and Munkustrap always knew where Demeter was, just in case. It seemed the two magical cats had forgotten about the attack, though. They sat apart from the rest of the tribe, practicing another trick, one that was proving to be quite difficult. With Jenny's permission, they'd been allowed to use the kittens as subjects for conjuring. So far, Merrytus had managed to conjure a boot that had been near one of the kittens--but other than that, nothing.

Mistoffelees, however, had been quite patient with it all. After all, he knew how difficult it could be. He watched as a rat appeared, and although she looked discouraged, he couldn't hide his wild grin.

"You brought something living!" Mistoffelees reminded her, and he watched her slump down, nodding. "You're right. Perhaps we should take a break."

Merrytus got up sloppily, heading back to the junkyard with a frown. "How long did it take you to learn this?"

"A while. You're doing as well as I did at that age," he reassured her, and he nuzzled her. "You'll get there, I promise."

Mistoffelees watched the discouraged kitten plop down near the other kittens, though she didn't go up to them. Instead she pawed at a candy wrapper and began to levitate it, a little higher than she could have before, and that seemed to boost her confidence a bit. Victoria sat next to Mistoffelees as he watched her raise the wrapper above her own head before letting it fall, and the two of them chuckled.

"She's getting better," Victoria noticed. "She reminds me of you. Waiting in the corner, practicing your tricks until someone came over to see."

Mistoffelees laughed. "Yes, I suppose I was a bit of a show-off."

"Was?"

Without warning he tackled her playfully, pinning her down and raising his eyebrow. "So you think I'm a show off, do you?"

Victoria couldn't answer, she was laughing so hard. Her eyes caught Merrytus as she sneezed; lightning shot out of her paws when she did, accidentally striking the ground. Mistoffelees got off of Victoria and watched Merrytus experiment with the lightning. "She is getting better," he mumbled, a hint of pride in his voice.

Hours later, around dusk, Mistoffelees and Merrytus were off practicing once more. Since she had begun to discover even more about herself, she was actually conjuring kittens! Every time a kitten appeared, a wide-eyed Merrytus would gaze up at Mistoffelees, and he of course praised her for successfully completing the trick. With her blood pumping and her pride at an all-time high, she thought of one of the kittens in particular, but when she opened her eyes, she saw Munkustrap standing there and looking confused.

He looked over to Mistoffelees, shaking his head. "You swore after the one time you had me appearing in your family's chimney, you wouldn't ever do it again," he said.

"It wasn't me," Mistoffelees said with a grin. He beamed down at Merrytus with almost devilish glee.

"It was…you?" Munkustrap asked, shocked and impressed. As she had nodded, however, he heard Bombalurina's scream from the area where most of the Jellicles were. Like lightning all three cats bolted to the area, only to see Bombalarina on her knees, crying out the same thing over and over as Tugger was awkwardly comforting her.

"He took her!" she yelled, distraught by her sister's kidnapping. "Macavity took her! He took Demeter!" she continued, and buried her head into the Tugger's mane.

Munkustrap tensed for a moment before turning around swiftly to Merrytus. "If it weren't for you and your magic tricks I could have been here!" he snapped, and wanted to continue, but Mistoffelees stepped in front of the kitten, glaring at Munkustrap. Both toms knew he did not mean that whatsoever, and that he was merely yelling out in anger. As Merrytus cowered behind Mistoffelees, Munkustrap walked off, plopping down near his den with wide eyes. Alonzo and Tugger followed, no doubt to come up with a plan of action, and maybe also to comfort their brother.

Mistoffelees turned around, and picked up Merrytus, mumbling that none of this was her fault. To her, it felt like it had to have been. He set her down and she curled up, feeling sick, though not nearly as sick as Mistoffelees. He was beginning to wonder if she did have anything to do with Macavity.

Two hours passed. Two long, horrible hours. Mistoffelees and Victoria sat near Munkustrap and the others, Merrytus sitting at both of their feet as she sat there. The other cats sat away from them. Mungojerrie awkwardly held Rumpleteazer, while the kittens were strewn about, wanting something fun to happen.

"We have to find her," Alonzo said, only to be met with a glare by both of his brothers. They'd all been saying that for two hours, but none could come up with a good plan.

Munkustrap looked to Mistoffelees. "Can you try?" he asked, hopelessly. Merrytus and Victoria both looked at Mistoffelees, who nodded.

He stepped away from them, and tried once—twice—three times in a row, and nothing happened. He looked confused. This had never happened to him. He was always able to this, ever since he learned how. This was his strongest ability. He looked lost, and so apologetic when he looked at Munkustrap.

"I'm sorry," he said, and sat looking down. Victoria leaned against him, nuzzling him to make him feel better, but it didn't help.

Munkustrap stared forward. "Who knows where she could be," he said flatly, and shivered at the thought of what could be happening. He looked hopeless. What could they honestly do? He shrugged off a paw (probably Tugger's, he decided) that landed on his shoulder.

Merrytus cleared her throat and tugged Mistoffelees' fur. He bent down and she whispered an idea in his ear He pulled back and considered this before grinning.

"We'll try together," Mistoffelees said to Munkustrap, though he didn't look hopeful. Without him saying anything, Mistoffelees and Merrytus walked away, trying once. It was a dud. They tried again, and once more before the kitten looked down, exhausted from the day.

"Come on," Misto said to her, nudging her off of the ground, and he cleared his throat. "You must give it all you have. You _must_." Munkustrap needed Demeter, and so did the rest of the tribe.

Merrytus closed her eyes, visualizing Demeter before her. Before she knew it, she was twirling. The two cats seemed to twirl in perfect unity, both of them ethereal as they did. Merrytus felt her entire body grow lighter and lighter as she spun, and she felt as if she was on a different plane of existence. Unbeknownst to her, Mistoffelees felt precisely the same. For a small moment they were one Expert Conjuring Cat, and nothing was in front of them but their goal.

Finally there was a small pop and Demeter appeared a few feet away, collapsing on the ground when she did. Neither Merrytus nor Mistoffelees noticed what was happening until Victoria nudged Mistoffelees, awakening both of them from their trance. Misto's grin was wide, and for the first time in a long time, so was Merrytus'.

"We did it!" she exclaimed, caught up in the moment of seeing Demeter. Though she was hurt, she would be all right. Munkustrap embraced her close, and she returned the favor.

"What was that…that feeling? It felt so good, so right, like nothing I've felt before," she said to Mistoffelees. Even though neither could define that feeling, it was the first time for both of them that they had truly connected with another cat because of their shared ability.


	5. Chapter 5

((again, all the thanks to Penguin and my reviewers c: ! also again i own none of this...though i'd like to D: maybe if i cleaned mr. webber's house for the rest of my life he'd let me have cats. what do yall think? lmao. ooh, but merrytus is mine. he doesn't have her D ooh! Clorinda the kitten is definitely not mine. she is Penguin's c: ))

Merrytus was on cloud nine, and with good reason. It'd been about a week since she and Mistoffelees had rescued Demeter, but the elation had never really left. She sat near a pack of kittens, hesitantly joining in with their play. The kittens accepted her, though they knew she was still a little nervous around them.

A kitten named Clorinda pounced forward, her backside in the air as she watched Merrytus toss around a little cricket. "Show me one of your tricks!" She half-demanded, and half-requested. Some of the other kittens gathered, leaving poor Merrytus nervous.

She shuffled where she sat, looking at all of their eyes on her. She looked down, and gulped. "Al…alright, I'll try," she mumbled, thinking very slowly as the cats grew impatient. She went through a few tricks in her head, glancing around for her pack of cards.

"Okay, I have one," Merrytus said, and she nudged the pack of cards towards Clorinda. "Pick a card at random."

Clorinda did so, taking a card from the middle of the pack and sharing it with her friends, all of them giggling with excitement. Merrytus leaned down and began to shuffle nervously, a few cards coming out of the pack. She frowned, picking them back up. Could she do this without the watchful eye of Mistoffelees? Without him, she was quite nervous.

"Right…" she continued, and was finally done shuffling. Merrytus took out a card, and showed the kitten a Four of Hearts. "Is this your card?" She asked.

Clorinda frowned. "No." Merrytus waited for it. The kit was supposed to look at her card, and realize it had changed. She looked, but nothing happened. "You got your trick wrong!" the kitten teased.

Merrytus backed up, and finally tore away from the circle of kittens. She hid behind an old refrigerator, trying to pretend none of that had happened. What happened to the kitten who brought back Demeter? Was she only good when Mistoffelees was around? Soon the noon sun began to sink, and she heard the Rum Tum Tugger shouting, no doubt for her. She saw him come closer and shrank, not wanting to show her spotted face. Maybe it was just a parlor trick, but that was it. It was _just a parlor trick_. It was simple, and it barely took any real magical powers at all. She thought she could do better than basic.

"Kitten whose name I have already forgotten!" he called, casually walking though the junkyard before finally spotting an all-black kitten's tail. He laughed, and tugged at it. "For a magical cat you're not that great at hiding," he said, and she poked her head out. "You know, you're causing quite a stir by disappearing." Tugger rose and expected her to follow, but when she didn't, he stopped and rolled his eyes. "Come on, I _really_ don't feel like carrying you."

"I'm not going back," Merrytus said, shaking her head. When the Tugger tried to grab her to pick up, she scratched at him. "I said I'm not going back."

He tugged his mane disdainfully, shrugging. "It's no skin off my nose, kid." He walked off, but soon caught up with Mistoffelees and informed him of her hiding place. When Mistoffelees began to walk off, Tugger stopped him. "Hey! Why don't you just conjure her back?"

Mistoffelees looked at the Tugger like he was mad. "Because that's rude," he responded, very matter-of-factly.

--

The sky was very dark blue, with the stars blinking down on him. Mistoffelees finally came upon the old refrigerator, sniffing around it and recognizing Merrytus. Something told him that she didn't move from the spot because she wanted to be found.

He cleared his throat, but she didn't move. "Why did you run off?" he asked. Mistoffelees thought asking her about why she ran off in the first place would be a bit nicer than to immediately demand she go back. After a moment she turned around and looked up at him from behind the fridge, and he smiled down at her politely.

"I messed up the Deceit," Merrytus mumbled. "The kittens wanted a trick, so I did it, but her card didn't change. It didn't work. They made fun of me." She looked down, breathing in very slowly. "Just like the others."

Mistoffelees nodded, taking in her story. "I think it's time for another lesson. What to do when a trick backfires."

"I don't want a lesson right now."

"When a trick goes wrong, all you can possibly do is work with it." Mistoffelees smiled, putting himself in the tricky situation of a failed trick. "Pretend you meant to mess up. Perhaps do something flashy…you've mastered lightning." He sat down, looking down at him. "You must get back in the game. Do you understand?" She nodded, but he was sure she didn't understand.

All was silent until Merrytus finally spoke. "What if they don't like me? I mean…they like my magic. But what if they don't like me?" She looked up to him, waiting for an answer to a seemingly simple question.

The problem was that Mistoffelees had often wondered this himself. What sort of cat would he be if it weren't for his magic? He scratched behind his ear, quite perplexed but her question. It stung him that she was already asking him this.

"I like you," he said, finally. "If they don't…then what can you honestly do?" Merrytus and Mistoffelees both knew that this was something neither of them really knew, so he decided to just stay silent. The silence lasted for what felt like forever. During that silence he pondered what it felt like to fail in front of an audience—you've let them down! He'd done that once or twice, and it was brutal. He couldn't blame her for feeling so afraid, especially after the stunt they had pulled for Demeter. It hurt to fail at being who other people expect you to be.

He finally looked down at her, after he had enough with this silence. "Would you like to sleep here tonight?"

Merrytus nodded, and came out to curl up next to Mistoffelees, both of them falling asleep very quickly.

--

The following morning, Mistoffelees made his way back with a white rabbit in his mouth, which he had managed to wrestle out of a bucket. He set the rabbit down and nodded Merrytus, who slowly began to rise, looking up to him with a yawn.

"Morning." He nudged the rabbit over to her more, and she began to nibble on it gently. Mistoffelees allowed her to have her fill before he chowed down, keeping a close eye on her as she explored. He watched as she juggled some milk bottles with ease, laughing to himself as she did. When he was finally done eating, he found her levitating one of them. She was getting better.

"I think we ought to return," Mistoffelees said, wondering how worried the tribe was. Victoria especially…he had never even thought of her. They sauntered back into the area, and Jennyanydots was having a field day checking up on poor Merrytus.

Four kittens came up to Merrytus, all of whom were looking down at their paws. "We're sorry we teased you," they said, under the watchful eye of Jellylorum. Merrytus softly accepted their apology, and they immediately invited her to play. She looked up to Mistoffelees, who nudged her along.

Misto left to find Munkustrap and Alonzo sitting on an old car, talking to each other quietly. "Macavity came once more," Alonzo said, eyeing Mistoffelees carefully. "No one was hurt, but he almost got away with Bombalurina," the tom recalled.

Mistoffelees frowned. "That's awful!" he exclaimed, looking around the area. "I'm sorry, but…Merrytus didn't really feel like returning to the area. The kittens really upset her."

"We noticed," Munkustrap said flatly.

Mistoffelees frowned. "And what precisely are you saying?" Perhaps his paranoia was getting to him. He had been wondering about why Macavity had been returning not long after Merrytus joining their tribe. He didn't want to believe she had fallen for his trap, however. Mistoffelees knew how deceitful and manipulative he could be, after all, and a young kitten like her would be easily sucked in, especially if she was looking for security.

"Perhaps it's a happy coincidence," Alonzo said. "But he began showing up when she did. And we all know how naive magical cats can be about Macavity and what he has to offer."

Mistoffelees rose up, shaking his head. "No. No, she is not with him, I would swear it on the Everlasting Cat." But even they could see his hesitance to say that statement. This was quite the coincidence. He growled and glared at them. "And to suggest that a kitten like her would fall for what he has to say…it's madness." He walked off, heading to his den to sulk.

When playtime was over, Merrytus returned to Mistoffelees' den, grinning happily. She cuddled up to him, but he seemed…different. She looked up to him, frowning. She knew something was wrong.

"What's wrong, Mr. Mistoffelees?"

Mistoffelees looked away, feeling sick. "You wouldn't hurt the tribe, would you?" he asked, looking down at her. "You wouldn't go against us, or…or me, would you?" Mistoffelees didn't want to believe she was with Macavity. She was such a good kitten, but so naïve and scared. What if the only other kind like him (that he knew of, anyway) turned against him? He remembered the empty feeling, the feeling he would have after performing. The feeling that no one would understand what it was like not knowing who were really were.

"Of course not," Merrytus responded, very quietly and almost sadly. "I wouldn't think of it, Mr. Mistoffelees." She paused, and looked down, thinking over what he could have possibly meant. "Why would you think I would betray--?"

Victoria entered, and at once, Mistoffelees put his paw over Merrytus', silencing her. "Get some rest," He purred, and nuzzled her. He watched as she closed her eyes, and he couldn't help but worry. What if Munkustrap and Alonzo were right? But worst of all…what if he did end up alone again?


	6. Chapter 6

((many thanks to miss penguin for dealing with me and my awful awful habits! lmao. again, i own none of this but miss merrytus...and thanks to all my readers c: i love me some feedback! and in case you're curious, with the little chant...think of it as the same rhythm as they use riiight before the jellicle ball. you know, 'jellicle cats are black and white', etc.))

Thankfully, the next two weeks were relatively uneventful. While Munkustrap had not been accusing Mistoffelees or Merrytus of working with Macavity, he managed to avoid them very well. However, the suspicion had been passed through the tribe. Some, like Jenny and Victoria, chose not to believe anything the others were saying. But it wasn't as if Mistoffelees had always been one hundred percent faithful to the tribe (as Munkustrap never hesitated to point out), so a good number of the other cats had reasons to suspect the two magical cats.

On one fine afternoon, Mistoffelees found himself sitting opposite of Merrytus, showing her how to throw her meows, as he had been known to do once in a while. He demonstrated, his meows heard distantly by the two of them. After a moment, however, the two of them heard the voice of Victoria calling for Mistoffelees, quite sure she had just heard him nearby. Both cats chuckled to themselves before they continued to practice. Merrytus let out a loud meow, which was unfortunately only loud where they were.

Mistoffelees laughed. "Close," he said, and then thought to himself, a wide smile crossing his mouth as he considered how to explain this. "Imagine you're trying to make a cork disappear." He paused as she closed her eyes, smirking when a bottle cap disappeared, probably by accident. "Now imagine making it reappear." As if by magic, it reappeared. "Now imagine that's your voice you're doing it with."

Merrytus opened her eyes, and nodded. She psyched herself up, meowing a couple times. She opened her mouth and Mistoffelees waited anxiously. A meow came out, and even though she looked frustrated, she continued to try. Finally, Mistoffelees' patience paid off, and he heard her meow growing distant. After ten more times meowing, her meow could be heard nearly ten feet away.

"You did it!" Mistoffelees exclaimed suddenly, and he nuzzled her while she pawed at him.

As Merrytus opened her mouth to speak, or perhaps meow once more, there was a shriek in the distance. They looked at each other for a moment before they began to scamper up, Merrytus bringing up the distant rear. Mistoffelees hoped and prayed to the Everlasting Cat that it wasn't what he though, but he knew it probably was.

Sure enough, when they arrived, Macavity and Munkustrap were locked deeply in battle. Mistoffelees acted quickly, nudging Merrytus over towards the cowering Victoria. She took in Merrytus, hiding the kitten behind her. Mistoffelees strode forward, ready to fight. Before he knew it, though, Macavity had struck down Tugger, who immediately scrambled towards the broken down car to rest for a moment. There were large scratches on his side, which Bombalurina was quickly tending to.

Next Munkustrap attacked, and their claws flew through the air for a few moments before Mistoffelees thrust himself into the fray. He attacked Macavity from behind, jumping on his back and clawing at him. Without warning, however, he was tossed off Macavity's back and flung to the opposite end. Now he remembered why he was of no use in things like this—he was just not as strong. He couldn't bring himself to move right now because of this fighting, much less help.

As Mistoffelees was tossed off, Alonzo joined into the fray. The two brothers fought against Macavity for what felt like a century. Finally, other toms joined in; Pouncival attacked from the side, while Tumblebrutus scratched at his feet. Mistoffelees watched, frozen where he stood. He couldn't bring himself to move. Before him, Pouncival was being pushed to the side. Tumblebrutus took a harsh kick from Macavity. Munkustrap and Alonzo were alone.

Merrytus watched in awe as the two toms fought fearlessly, desperately needing to protect their tribe. The fight was cut short, though, when Macavity's claws made their way across Alonzo's throat. Knowing his deed was done, Macavity left in the confusion that soon followed.

Munkustrap and Tugger made their way over to Alonzo, the look on their faces nothing but heartbreak. The kittens began to cry out in sorrow, while the older cats hung their head in respect for their fallen cat and attempted to push back the kittens, to hide them from this, obviously hiding tears themselves.

Munkustrap was the first cat to speak. "Go alert Old Deuteronomy," he mumbled, to anyone, really. Plato was the first to go. Munkustrap continued. "Somebody please help Tugger into his den."

"I'm fine."

"You're not!" he yelled, and Pouncival went to try and assist Tugger. He went, though very sore about it all. Munkustrap asked someone from the tribe to take away Alonzo's body. Nobody moved; they all stared around, before a brave Caricopat persuaded his sister to help. Not a soul watched as Coricopat and Tantomile carried Alonzo from the tribe, their eyes torn away from both Alonzo and themselves. The adults continued to try and hide the kittens as his body was carried out, but even they were having problems with containing their tears now. Jellylorum wiped a tear and took in a sharp breath, obviously trying to hold it in for the sake of the kittens.

The silence returned. Most cats were afraid to move, especially the two magical cats. They both felt very similar at the moment. The cats stood frozen in their spots, emotionless, as if they didn't comprehend what had just happened. Neither of them had experienced death…not like this, anyway. Coldness swept over them, as if they'd never be cheerful again, and that hurt them more than they could express. Without saying anything, the two of them made their way to the other, meeting and nuzzling, trying to warm what they couldn't reach.

Munkustrap, his eyes wide, turned over to the two magical cats, eyes wide with anger. "You," he said darkly. Cats began to whisper…neither one of them had helped fend off Macavity. They were both gone, once again, when he attacked. The magical cats heard these and more whispers.

"It wasn't her," Mistoffelees said suddenly, standing in front of Merrytus, and he rose up his head to wards Munkustrap.

"No, no," Munkustrap. "It was _both_ of you." Munkustrap walked forward, his tail whipping behind him. "Both have you have been helping Macavity, haven't you?" he asked, a few cats shifting around uncomfortably.

"No," Mistoffelees mumbled, looking around desperately. "No, we haven't. We would never…"

"But you have before! How a magical cat forgets so easy! Whispering the whereabouts of tribe leaders, and in return, what did you get?" Munkustrap asked, walking forward. "What were you promised? Security? Perhaps a nice cozy box to sleep in?" he continued. Mungojerrie shifted where he sat, next to Rumpleteazer, watching this unfold closely.

"I was a kitten," Mistoffelees breathed, hating this confrontation. He looked down from Munkustrap's eyes, his breathing getting heavier as Munkustrap walked closer.

"Yes, indeed. So we forgave you. 'He was scared, alone…he'd have done anything for a friend. None of the kittens liked him, so naturally he clung to whoever would give him a nuzzle and some fish paste'. That's what we said. And we forgave you." Munkustrap sneered. "So how did he do it this time? Did he threaten the kitten? Or did the kitten simply persuade you?"

"I'm telling you, Munkustrap, neither of us is responsible!" But unfortunately, the other cats began talking to one another about all of this. Merrytus tensed just as Mistoffelees, both of them feeling ill.

_"Magical cats are truly trouble_

_Magical cats are tricky; we know_

_Magical cats are worse in double_

_The magical cats must go!"_

Munkustrap chanted, once, then twice. Soon Mungojerrie joined in enthusiastically, followed soon by Bombalurina and Etcetera. The chanting only grew louder as more cats, including kittens, joined in. Victoria and even Jennyanydots walked around to the others, pleading with them to stop, but none of hem listened. Mistoffelees tugged at Merrytus as their chanting became even louder still. Soon Munkustrap leapt forward, causing the two magic cats to leap back and head out of the junkyard.

Mistoffelees and Merrytus slowed their pace when they'd gone far enough from the tribe. His heart beat fast as he led her out of the junkyard, striding tiredly. A long silence passed before finally Merrytus spoke.

"You…weren't, deceiving the tribe, were you?"

"No," he said suddenly, turning his head quickly. He calmed after a moment. "Were you?"

"Of course not," she mumbled, and gulped, looking up as a few raindrops fell on her head. They'd gone by three blocks, and the rain sped up. "I'm tired," croaked Merrytus, and she slowed.

"Just a bit longer, I promise," he said to her, his smiling strained. Finally they reached his old home. He nuzzled her up the fire escape, almost carrying her. Mistoffelees sniffed around, catching an unsuspecting rat with ease. He dropped it next to her, though neither of them touched it. Both were too exhausted to eat.

Merrytus lay down next to him, curling up and resting her head on his paws. She was near sleep, but a question still plagued her mind.

"Did you really do all of that?" she asked, sleepily.

Mistoffelees closed his eyes. "Yes," he responded. "I was wrong, and they forgave me. Or…so I thought." He nuzzled her softly, and almost apologetically, though he didn't need to say anything about it. She seemed to understand that he was no longer like that.

"What are we supposed to do now?" Merrytus asked, her eyes opened to look up to him finally.

Mistoffelees met them with a bit of fear. "I…We can figure it out in the morning." Even though the sun had barely begun to set, the two cats were simply exhausted, and they fell asleep quicker than they ever had before.


	7. Chapter 7

((again, thanks to Penguin c: she is the awesome, ha. i own none of this except merry. but i'd like to. D: ))

Both cats woke up late the next day. Rain had managed to leak through the roof, so the two of them were somewhat damp. Mistoffelees rose and discarded the old rat into the alley before venturing out into the light drizzle to find a fresh one. He returned not five minutes later, setting the rat down in front of Merrytus. She ate quickly; at this point, she was understandably starving. Like lightning she was done, leaving only a little for Mistoffelees. He chewed on it idly, still not hungry. There was silence through all of the meal, until Merrytus finally spoke up.

"What happens next?" she asked, sitting down on the damp wood and looking around. "How are we going to get back?"

Mistoffelees sighed angrily, wishing that she would stop asking. "I don't know," he said, his voice strained with worry. He couldn't protect both of them—he could barely protect himself. He was not a fighting type of cat, and there wasn't much Merrytus could do, given her size. Mistoffelees was already exhausted from the day, and it had barely begun.

And even though he had Merrytus to worry about, he couldn't help but think of his Victoria. Were they other cats being cold with her, simply for being mates with him? He groaned at the idea, looking back down at her as she looked up at him. He knew she expected some sort of decision to be made about what they were to do next.

"Come," he instructed, and she followed him out of the roof and into the sun, which peeked through the clouds.

He was walking both to dry himself off and to think. What _were_ they going to do? They couldn't return—not yet. He knew Munkustrap would realize soon that they were not to blame, but he knew today they were burying Alonzo. Today was not the day.

They walked for another two hours before finally he found a relatively nice place to stay. He walked over to the large plastic crate that sat under the fire escape, glad it was dry, and not nearly as dank as the attic was.

"We will return soon…once they realize Macavity is still coming even after we've left," he mumbled, his voice still strained. He sat next to her, and looked out of the box.

"How soon, do you think?" she asked, but that seemed to irritate Mistoffelees, so she lay down next to him and didn't complain when she didn't receive an answer.

--

Both cats had fallen asleep again, but were woken very suddenly to the yells of humans. Mistoffelees' eyes popped open, and he looked around to see a specific breed of humans. He could identify them right away, with those large tools in their hand. Cat-catchers. Mistoffelees quickly nudged Merrytus awake, half-shoving her out of the box and down the alley. But the Cat-catchers were fast; faster than the cats, at any rate.

They gained on the cats quickly, their leashes extended all the way. Twice now Merrytus was almost caught. Mistoffelees knew that they couldn't keep this pace forever, so he looked back to Merrytus.

"Disappear!" he yelled, needing her to go first so he made sure she disappeared successfully and was not caught by the Cat-catchers.

"I can't unless I stay still!" she yelled back, huffing and puffing.

Mistoffelees growled under his breath. "Yes, you can! I know you can!" he yelled, keeping his eyes back at her. She seemed to try, but to no avail. "Just…pretend you can! Pretend you can and maybe it'll work!" he called, helplessly. He had to think quickly if he were to help her, because she obviously couldn't do this. Not yet.

Mistoffelees slowed down and like lightning picked her up. In an instant both of them were gone, right in front of the humans' eyes. They landed in the outskirts of the junkyard, but he was in no mood to move just yet. He could hear the cats at the ceremony for Alonzo, but just barely. He lay down, but he couldn't miss the smile on her face.

"I did it!" Merrytus exclaimed, talking of course about disappearing.

Mistoffelees opened his mouth, but decided instead to offer a weak smile in congratulations. Telling her the truth would only dampen her spirits, and her being happy seemed to only make him happier. He watched as she gleefully began to levitate a bottle into the air, letting it land and shatter.

--

Merrytus woke up late that night, her stomach growling. She looked over to the snoozing Mistoffelees. Surely he wouldn't mind if she got up to catch a few bugs, to settle her stomach? She decided he wouldn't. The kitten rose carefully, her footsteps surprisingly lighter when she wanted them to be. Odd.

She wormed her way through garbage, sniffing the air—and then she heard something she hoped she'd never hear again. Macavity's gentle cackle rang through her ears, and she hid behind an old oven, peeking around to see only Macavity and the back of another cat. A very familiar-looking cat, though she didn't exactly know who.

"The ceremony is coming to a close?" Macavity asked.

The other cat, a tom, nodded. "Aye. The kittens were being put to bed when I left. Who's your next target, then?"

"Tugger. He was never really subtle—he'll be easier, much easier than Alonzo. Munkustrap will be my greatest challenge."

"I doubt that! He's always in the open—ready for a fight. And without his other brothers to help him out…he'll be too simple."

The two chuckled heartily at the thought. "I attack in three days. I believe that would be the same day as my dear brother and his whore mate's anniversary. One year. This will be delicious." Macavity chuckled, but the other tom's laugh was less than enthusiastic. What on earth had he gotten into, hurting Tugger? He closed his eyes, though, knowing it would all pay off in the end.

Merrytus leaned too far, and stumbled. Like lightning Macavity and the other cat scampered off. She stood there for a moment before quickly making her way back, almost running right into poor Mistoffelees.

"I saw the cat giving away the information," she breathed, standing over him.

Mistoffelees groaned at first, but once she'd spoken, he was upright. "Who?" he asked immediately, his eyes looking around the area swiftly to make sure no one was watching. "Who was it?"

"I don't remember his name. But he was lots of colors…white, black, and some gold. And he spoke with a very heavy accent."

Mistoffelees' heart dropped. No. "Did he…err. Did 'e speak loike thish?" he asked, attempting a Cockney accent as well as he could. When Merrytus confirmed, he sat down, shaking his head. "Ooh Mungojerrie…what did you get involved in?" he asked to himself, imagining the heartbreak Rumpleteazer would feel when she found out her mate was involved with Macavity. No doubt how Victoria had initially felt.

"What will we do?" she asked, looking anxious, now.

Mistoffelees put a paw on her, laying her down, and curled up next to her. "Tomorrow morning we'll present this information to Munkustrap, and see what happens. For now, though…get some rest." He nuzzled her tenderly, his eyes closing as he did. After she fell asleep, he rose up and sat a little ways away, but still kept an eye on her. He didn't know who had overheard, after all, and at this moment, this kitten was all he had.


	8. Chapter 8

((i feel i have to apologize for the lack of chapters. life got real busy real fast, and my attention went elsewhere, but updates should be more often c: again, i own none of this except merry.))

The following day, early in the morning, Mistoffelees woke up Merrytus. He nudged her, and gave her a rat, though she wasn't hungry. He didn't seem to mind for once. His mind was obviously on the task at hand…how was he going to enter the tribe without being threatening? But more importantly, how was he going to convince Munkustrap of the truth?

"I'm going back to the tribe today." He paused, and she went to speak, but he cut her off. "No, you can't come in with me. They wouldn't hurt a kitten, but…I still don't want you coming," he said, and sat down next to her. "You can come, but you _must_ stay hidden."

They traveled to the tribe, Merrytus hiding behind the same refrigerator she had hidden before. Mistoffelees entered slowly, keeping his head down. Everyone stopped what they were doing when he entered, and that was when he raised his head, looking around.

"I need to speak with Munkustrap," he said to them, not the playful tom he had been before. He knew he didn't belong at the moment, but he was no threat, and he was sure his tribe knew that.

Victoria went forward, nobody stopping her. They exchanged a look of longing as she walked forward, putting her paw on him and nuzzling him gently. He saw the heartbreak in her eyes.

"I know it wasn't you," she whispered to him, and would have continued, had Munkustrap not entered.

He walked forward and Victoria sauntered off, her head down as Demeter nudged her, as if trying to raise her spirits. Munkustrap glared as he raised himself up in an automatic defense. "What is it, Mistoffelees?" he asked, darkly.

He looked around, and began towards Munkustrap's den, hoping they could talk in there. Munkustrap nodded and looked at Tugger, who followed protectively. When they settled in his den, Mistoffelees began.

"Last night, Merrytus overheard Macavity talking to Mungojerrie," he said breathlessly and somewhat desperately, hoping they would believe him, but knowing it would be quite a long shot.

The two brothers exchanged a look of disbelief. "Why should we believe you?" Munkustrap asked incredulously, shaking his head. "Choosing the only other cat in the tribe with a past with Macavity…I would have been a bit more creative if I were you, Mistoffelees."

"No!" Mistoffelees yelled, then sighed, looking down for a moment. "I didn't choose him, I saw…Merrytus heard him, his accent. She heard him talking to Macavity last night. They're going after you, Tugger."

Tugger glared and tugged on his mane with his nose in the air. "They would never get to me."

"They did last time," Mistoffelees reminded him, and looked down. "I don't want to believe it's Mungojerrie, either. But it is. Merrytus knows what she heard…she wouldn't lie to me." He stared at the two with a somewhat defeated face. They didn't believe him. They wouldn't believe him. After a moment, he rose. "At least keep an eye out, Tugger. They are targeting you next." As he walked out, he heard Munkustrap mumbling in Tugger's ear, and he only hoped it was even just a little bit of suspicion towards Mungojerrie.

--

Mistoffelees nudged Merrytus out from behind her fridge, smiling down at her as if everything would be alright in spite of what had just happened. "It…didn't go well. They didn't believe me," he said to her, and nodded for them to start walking, towards the other side of the junkyard. He needed to take them to a different location, in case Macavity knew she was there listening that night.

"But you told them it was Mungojerrie, didn't you?" He nodded. "Then you were telling the truth! Why didn't they believe you?" she asked. She was sure the other cats loved Mr. Mistoffelees…they trusted him, and what he said, because they liked him. They always had, as far as she could see. Surely they had considered what they were saying to be wrong?

Mistoffelees shrugged, looking down at his feet. "I know. I don't know why they didn't believe me. I think…I think the only reason they don't is because they need someone to blame right now, to make sense of it all," he explained as best as he could, trying to make it make sense to her. But it didn't even make sense to him.

She understood, but she didn't want to. It was silly to her…there was nothing but suspicion that said they were with Macavity. They continued to walk to a new spot, both of their heads hanging with disappointment.

--

Days had passed since he had seen the tribe, and as far as Mistoffelees knew, Macavity had yet to attack. His fur was becoming dirty and somewhat matted with all the other distractions around him. He'd accidentally run them into a pack of Pollicles the day before, barely escaping without a scratch. Mistoffelees decided that on this morning, he'd let Merrytus sleep in to whenever she wanted. He sat there, much less attentive than he had before; Mistoffelees was tired, both physically and emotionally. He missed Victoria more than he could even say. He missed Jenny, and Bustopher Jones…he missed his tribe.

Finally Merrytus rose, stretching, and making her way over to him to wish him a good morning, no doubt. Noting how exhausted he looked, she smiled up to him. "Do you want me to go hunting for us?" she asked, and he nodded, but wasn't foolish enough to expect food to come back with her.

Merrytus trotted off, after being told to stay near at least. She looked around, seeing neither a bird nor a rabbit to eat, and she became even more aware of her empty stomach when she did. She wandered a little farther, before she ran into (quite literally) a black, brown and orange calico cat. She stopped and looked up, seeing the familiar face of Mungojerrie.

She wasn't scared, and neither was he, but it was certainly awkward enough for them. "If Munkustrap knew you were in the junkyard, he may not be too happy," Mungojerrie said, though it was said without much care. As if he had other things on his mind.

"I could say the same about you," she mumbled to him, and she sat down, staring up at him. What could she honestly do now? She would have to let him go. Mistoffelees was too far away to meow—or was he? Merrytus let out a seemingly quiet meow as she sat there.

Mungojerrie grinned. "That's a pretty impressive trick, little queen, but I'm not exactly in the mood for tricks. Nor do I have time. Now, if you'll excuse me." But before he could be excused, he saw Mistoffelees sitting next to Merrytus, looking at him with as much hatred as he could possibly muster.

Mistoffelees pushed Merrytus back before he walked forward. He eyed Mungojerrie, shaking his head. "I don't understand why. What could Macavity offer that this tribe couldn't?" he asked, but didn't dare sit down. He wasn't sure what he would do with Mungojerrie now that he had him, but Mistoffelees never really did have a plan.

"A better life. Have you seen how Macavity lives? Well, I suppose you have…" Mungojerrie mumbled, looking to Mistoffelees almost apologetically. "He lives like a king. I wanted to get that for me, and me Rumpleteazer. She deserves better than petty crimes in a dirty junkyard," he said, and he looked down. "I always thought that."

"She deserves better than a betrayer," Mistoffelees said, glaring. "Sure, you'll be living just great. But what about your friends? And her friends?" he asked, but it was obvious he didn't care for an answer. "And what about Alonzo, hm? You were friends with him, too."

"I know!" Mungojerrie hissed, and he dropped the bag he was carrying. "Do you think I intended for him to be killed?"

"Macavity sure knew how to get right to the three brothers," Mistoffelees said, and he sighed. "It's not too late to go back, you know. I did."

"I'm not a stupid little kitten, Misto. You know very well it's too late for me to go against Macavity," he mumbled, and he picked up the bag, slinging it over his shoulder. He began to walk off.

Mistoffelees frowned. "Wait!" he called, and Mungojerrie stopped. "Will it be tonight?" he asked, gulping somewhat.

"You know I can't tell you that, Mistoffelees," he mumbled, and continued on.

Mistoffelees grimaced. He had a feeling it would be tonight…and he only had one option. He had to fight. Even though he was a terrible fighter, and even though he would probably fail, he had to at least try. He glanced down at Merrytus, and frowned.

"I expect you never caught anything?" he asked, and when she shook her head, he chuckled. "Right. Well. I should probably teach you how to hunt at some point," he mumbled, and he went off to find food, Merrytus following after him.


	9. Chapter 9

((again, many thanks to my lovely beta, el Penguin! and i also own none of this. except merry! she's definitely mine.))

For the following two days, Mistoffelees and Merrytus camped out outside of the tribe, watching it all carefully. So far, there had been no disturbances, and everything had gone by normally. On the second day, Mistoffelees found himself sitting behind the old car that sat near his old home. As Merrytus played behind him with a bit of yarn, tossing it about, he watched Victoria stroll across his line of sight. He watched her closely, longingly, wanting nothing more than to just hop out of his hiding place and be with her. He always heard the humans saying that no one knew what they had until they lost it, but he never thought it was as true as he did now.

She looked…lonely. Lost. The way he felt. He felt a small meow coming out of his mouth as he watched her sit, looking dejected and incurably unhappy. Mistoffelees found himself pushing himself forward to go to her, but he heard Merrytus' little voice asking a question.

"Why didn't you fight off Macavity?"

Mistoffelees closed his eyes and turned around, almost thankful that she had interrupted him. He climbed down from the car, looking down and nuzzling her. His nuzzles were selfish, however; he tried to make himself feel better, but it was to no avail. He sighed and considered her question, looking down at his paws idly.

"I wouldn't have stood a chance." He admitted this quietly, this being the first time expressing the fact that he was not a very strong cat. He never had been.

"Then why didn't you use your magic? You're a very strong magician," Merrytus said to him with a grin, nuzzling him back.

Mistoffelees groaned. "Have the other kittens told you about Macavity? About how…about how he's never found at the scene of the crime?" he asked, and she nodded furiously. "And…how he always seems to show up out of nowhere, without any warning at all?" She continued to nod. "He's…he's like us."

"He's magical?" she asked, gaping up at him with her wide blue eyes. As if offended that Macavity was in the same leagues as her, her black tail whipped behind her.

Mistoffelees' tail seemed to do the same. He nodded to her. "He doesn't use his magic as much as he does…he told me it just wasn't a challenge. But if he were to go against another magical cat…well." He frowned. "He wouldn't let off. He'd probably end up killing, because his powers would be so out of control…"

Merrytus frowned. "Then you mustn't fight him. You can't, Mr. Mistoffelees." She paused, taking herself in a little bit. "If you were to fight…you're not bad, you're great, but…he's better, isn't he?"

"Possibly," he replied, with a labored sigh, nuzzling her a little bit, to calm her. "But if he attacks, I won't have any choice. You know I couldn't just let him go after the Rum Tum Tugger…he's my friend," he mumbled, and he looked down at her. She was frowning, obviously upset.

Mistoffelees understood why. It was the same reason he was so adamant in bringing her to the tribe…the two of them connected on a whole other level, and now especially, they needed the other one to stay alive just so they would have the other one. He knew he loved Merrytus, though not in the same way he loved his tribe or Victoria, and he was sure it was reciprocated.

He nudged her a little. "I know you don't want me taking this risk--"

"And how could I?" she asked, and she looked up to him. "You're the only one who understands. I couldn't lose you."

"You'd have the other cats."

"The other cats aren't like you and me, though," she said to him, getting impatient. "But you have to."

Mistoffelees nodded, and offered a wide smile down at her, though it wasn't really returned. Instead, Merrytus walked off, though not out of earshot. He knew this would be quite difficult for her, but he also knew it would be a necessity for the tribe. Especially if he were to prove both his and her innocence.

--

Merrytus snoozed comfortably next to Mistoffelees' paws, though the piercing scream woke her up immediately. The hair of Mistoffelees' back rose as he saw Macavity enter the junkyard from the opposite end of where he was standing, and the other cats scattered. Rumpleteazer, curiously without Mungojerrie, was huddled with Bombalurina, Demeter, and his own Victoria, all of them scared out of their minds.

Macavity was not subtle about who he was going after. He attacked Tugger immediately, his long claws slashing across one of his shoulders. Munkustrap followed up by attacking with such intensity, it made most of the other cats nervous. The two of them went at it for what seemed like hours before Munkustrap was thrown off of him. He snarled at the other cats, and began over to the area where the four queens were huddled.

Knowing in the back of his mind Macavity was probably going for Bomba (though the tuxedo cat's main concern was Victoria), Mistoffelees leapt forward, his tail whipping behind him as he rose up in his stance. Even Macavity stopped what he was doing, before chuckling to himself.

"Why, if it isn't little Mistoffelees," he mumbled. The other cats stared as they saw the banished member of their tribe fighting for them. Mistoffelees subtly led Macavity away from the queens, eyeing him closely. Macavity moved, as if humoring him. "Come to teach me a lesson, have you?"

Merrytus watched with wide eyes, everything in her body telling her to help him. She casually stepped down, and sat in front of the queens. Victoria knew what she was planning, so she put her paw on Merrytus' tail, only to have it shaken off quickly.

Mistoffelees glared, and made the first move. Lightning, which was now quite harmful, shot out of his paws, but he missed Macavity by only a whisker. Macavity cackled loudly, causing Mistoffelees to wince.

"Is that all, Mistoffelees? After all I taught you…" He tsk-tsked, and very quickly he retaliated with some lightning of his own, hitting Mistoffelees in his middle.

The tuxedo cat fell back, but soon rose up, hissing as he did. He crawled around Macavity, his footsteps lighter than they usually were. Quickly Mistoffelees attacked once more, this time disappearing and reappearing behind him, tackling him quickly and attempting to claw at his skin. Macavity's fur was thicker than any other cat's he'd ever touched, so it was proving to be difficult. Before he knew it, Macavity had disappeared right from under him. Mistoffelees landed on his stomach, feeling a paw on his back. He looked up to see Macavity, laughing still.

"You're such a disappointment, Mistoffelees! Boring, too…" he said, and pressed into his back dangerously, causing him to cough and sputter for air. "You should have known your flashy tricks would be nothing against my wit and--" Before he could finish, he felt little scratches on his paw. He looked down to see Merrytus, and he raised his eyebrow. "Honestly?"

He went to kick her away, but she let out a bit of lightning, which managed to strike him. He stumbled back but didn't fall. He stared at her, awed, having never seen another magical cat besides Mistoffelees. After a moment, however, he snickered. His snicker turned into another cackle.

"How adorable! Like a miniature Mistoffelees, but with the same amount of talent!" he nudged her around with his foot a bit while Mistoffelees gathered himself up to attack, still catching his breath. Merrytus rose up after a moment, and lunged forward, attacking him at his feet. Macavity now did kick her off, and she landed, hitting her head against the edge of the car's hubcaps.

Mistoffelees walked forward. "She's just a kitten," he said, and he let go of more lightning, which grazed Macavity's shoulder. "I'm the one you want to fight with anyway," he continued, and he raised his head. The two stayed sitting there for a moment before Mistoffelees raced forward, headbutting him. It seemed to be unexpected, because Macavity was pushed back, stumbling against the wall.

As Macavity stood there, though, glaring, the lights around the junkyard flickered and disappeared. There was a scream, and a flash of lightning. The lights flickered back on, showing Mistoffelees and Macavity tangled up in a fight. Hisses and spits could be heard, and even though the fight went on, both competitors became stronger and stronger.

The two pushed each other into stoves, slammed each other into the ground, and even tossed each other into the air. Mistoffelees pulled away, conjuring up some sparkles into his hand before blowing them into the unaware Macavity's eyes. The ginger tom clawed at them and pulled back, soon running away altogether. Mistoffelees stood there and closed his eyes, glad that it was a flashy trick that had defeated Macavity.

After a moment Munkustrap walked up to Mistoffelees, nuzzling him and thanking him. Even Tugger bowed respectfully at what he had done for the tribe. Mistoffelees nodded to the two of them before turning around and seeing Merrytus, who was awake but hurt. He walked over, and looked over to Jennyanydots.

"Will she be alright?" he asked gently, noticing a few cuts here and there.

"She'll be fine, I promise," Jenny said softly, a smile on his face. "She just needs rest, is all. Thank you, Mistoffelees." She kissed his head softly before carrying Merrytus off, and into Mistoffelees and Victoria's shared den to tend to her wounds.

At once Mistoffelees went over to Victoria, and the two embraced as all of the other cats crowded around them, thanking him over and over again for what he'd done. After a moment Munkustrap cleared through, looking at Mistoffelees with a small smile.

"I'm sorry," Munkustrap mumbled.

Mistoffelees grinned, and embraced him as well, not caring how uncomfortable it made poor Munkustrap. Mistoffelees knew it took a lot for him to apologize, and he couldn't appreciate it any more than he did.

The following morning, Merrytus woke up to see Mistoffelees' wide grin looking down at her. "Good morning!" he exclaimed, and he nuzzled her. He was just thrilled she was all right.

Merrytus rose, and stretched. "You did great," she mumbled to him, smiling. "I just wish I could have been more help."

"Merry, you turned that fight around," he reminded her, and grinned. "He'll come back. But…I think we can take him again." He paused, nuzzling her gently. "But you and I…we make an ineffable team, hm?"

Merrytus nodded, not thinking about the next time Macavity came. She was living in the present for now, just so glad she had found someone to be in a team with.


End file.
